Sir Gawain Bell | |
|---|---|
 Sir Gawain Bell | |
| Governor of Northern Nigeria | |
| In office 2 December 1957 – 1962 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Bryan Sharwood-Smith |
| Succeeded by | Alhaji SirKashim Ibrahim |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1909-01-21)21 January 1909 Cape Town,South Africa |
| Died | 26 July 1995(1995-07-26) (aged 86) |
Sir Gawain Westray BellKCMG CBE (21 January 1909 – 26 July 1995) was aBritish colonial administrator who became the Governor ofNorthern Nigeria.
Bell was born inCape Town,South Africa to an executive of theNew Zealand Shipping Company. At 10, his family moved back toCumberland,England where he attended theDragon School, Oxford,Winchester College andHertford College, Oxford.[1]
In 1931, Bell entered theSudan Political Service, where he learnedArabic. His postings included EasternSudan, theNuba Mountains, andKurdofan.[2]
In 1938, Bell was seconded to the Government ofPalestine where he worked with the police in Gaza. He eventually became commander of theBeersheba Camel Gendarmerie.[2]
Bell volunteered for service in theSecond World War. Bell rode horseback with an irregular force ofDruzecavalry, and participated in the capture ofSuweida from theVichy French. He became a regiment leader of theArab Legion and was appointed MBE (military) in the 1942New Year Honours.[3] In 1945, he married Silvia Cornwell-Clyne.[2]
Following the war, Bell returned toKhartoum,Sudan where he became Deputy Civil Secretary and later Permanent Under Secretary to the Ministry of the Interior. He left Sudan in 1955 to become the British Political Agent inKuwait during theSuez crisis.[2]
In 1957 the Colonial Office recruited Bell to become the Governor of Northern Nigeria,[4] where he worked closely with SirAhmadu Bello, the Sardauna ofSokoto. Bello was regarded by the British as difficult to work with; Bell came to his new job with an open mind and won over Bello to the point that he was asked to remain in his post as governor after Nigeria gained its independence from theUnited Kingdom. He stepped down as governor in 1962.[2]
Bell worked on several political projects in the Middle East following his time in Nigeria. He worked with SirRalph Hone on a constitution for theFederation of South Arabia, and additional projects in theTrucial States andOman. From 1966 until 1970 he was the last European Secretary-General of theSouth Pacific Commission (now called theSecretariat of the Pacific Community.[2]
After retiring in 1970, he concentrated on voluntary and charity work. He served as vice president and later chairman ofLEPRA, and served on the governing board of theSchool of Oriental and African Studies at theUniversity of London.[2] He was also the first President of theSociety for the Study of the Sudans UK[5]
He published two volumes of memoirs. The first, "Shadows on the Sand", was published in 1984 and covers his life through his time in the Sudan. The second, "An Imperial Twilight", details his five years in Nigeria, as well as his time in Arabia.[2]
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